I have the mid-winter blahs. It hits every February. I miss the sun. The real sun, the hot one, not the cold crisp one like is shining at the moment. So today, I’m giving you a photo from a very very hot day in the desert. Below is a shot from the hike to Delicate Arch at Arches National Park in Moab, UT.

Let’s all watch someone take this crazy hike. El Caminito del Rey (or the “King’s Pathway”) is a walkway along the walls of a gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in Málaga, Spain. Yes, I’m afraid of heights (ironic, isn’t it?), so I won’t be going here anytime soon…

I didn’t make that up, I stole it. And now I’ve lied, because here are some words. Today, you get a photo since Her Side is in triage mode at work — but don’t worry, I’ll work extra hard and Friday won’t be a Photo Friday! Here is the Grand Canyon, in September 2004:

When I drove all over the US, I got as far out west as Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona. I was on the road for almost 6 weeks.

I knew I was closer to home when I started hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, in Tennessee. It smelled more like home, because the greenery was more like what I was used to than the plant life out in the West. I stood on the trail, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and, for a second, I got a little homesick. I had been on the road for a month, after all. I missed my cat, and my roommates, and my friends, and my family. I missed my bed.

Then I opened my eyes and remembered why I was having such a great time, and instead of being homesick, I thought, “I can’t believe this trip is almost over!” Here is that moment of realization:

Happy Friday, everyone! The photo below was taken in September 2004, during a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. I can’t for the life of me remember what trail this is. I *think* it was near to Bear Lake, but the water in the photo is not Bear Lake. Any help?

Today, I need serenity. Not Serenity (well, maybe that too…you can’t take the sky from me), but something peaceful. So I unearthed this photo of Yellowstone Lake, taken in September 2004. Pretty, ain’t it? Or should I say, “shiny.”